HABITAS, NAMIBIA
Safaris, wellbeing and culture

Just over an hour away from Windhoek, the capital of Namibia, in a 123,553 acre reserve Habitas is a safari camp with fifteen luxury tent suites in a former hunting reserve, now dedicated to safaris, on top of a hill overlooking a plain with more hills all around, where white rhinoceroses, giraffes, zebras, gnus, hippopotami and elephants live – none of them too difficult to catch a glimpse of. Habitas is above all a place in which you can rest and feel good, with your family or friends, watching local groups perform or taking part in meditation sessions beneath the new moon or yoga sessions in the morning, in the bush, surrounded by acacia trees on top of the hills around you. The rooms are large and simple, typical of the Habitas brand, a brand that aims more to create a warm atmosphere between people than focusing on the aesthetics of a place.
www.ourhabitas.com/namibia

DAR AHLAM, MOROCCO
A dream in the desert

Almost hidden among palm groves and almond trees on the edge of the Moroccan desert, in the town of Ouarzazate, this earth-floored Casbah is over two hundred years old. Renovated and fully equipped with all modern comforts and all the required modern technology, the hotel has fourteen rooms and overlooks the Atlas Mountains with a swimming-pool in the shade of palm trees, a hammam and a massage centre lit by candles. However, what makes Dar Ahlam even more special is the people working there. A staff of over one hundred people who personally take care of each guest. This is further enhanced by gardens that have been created by Louis Benech, the talented designer of the Jardin des Tuileries in Paris and the Bosquet du Théâtre d’Eau in Versailles. There is also the opportunity to organise trekking tours in the Valley of Roses or a visit to a twelfth-century Berber village to take part in a tea ceremony at sunset.
www.darahlam.com

LOLEBEZI, ZAMBIA
The jewel of the lower Zambezi

Lolebezi is a particularly florid area of Zambia. Herds of elephants inhabit the area, as well as packs of wild dogs, leopards and a host of other animals too. Sitting upon the banks of the Zambezi, in the Lower Zambezi National Park in Zambia – one of the most exclusive and remote locations in Africa – this lodge is indeed a most extraordinary place, where unforgettable experiences are to be enjoyed. Canoe and boat excursions are organised as well as fishing trips, photo safari trips (also on foot). Inside the lodge – a heady mix of contemporary styles and local traditions – there are many works of art, a tribute to local craftwork and culture. All the suites (six, including one family suite) have a bath and a small swimming pool overlooking the Zambezi.

KISAWA SANCTUARY, MOZAMBIQUE
Sustainable luxury

In 300 hectares of beach and forest on the island of Benguerra, in Mozambique, Kisawa has only eleven residences looking out onto the Indian Ocean. It is not, however, merely a hotel. The resort allows its guests to support research into and the protection of the seas, thanks to its association with the Bazaruto Center for Scientific Studies, the first permanent ocean observatory in Africa. Some of the residences are on the quieter side of the bay whereas others are sheltered among the dunes on the side of the ocean. All of them, nonetheless, possess an exclusive outside area with access to the beach. Each bungalow can host two people. Some are independent whilst others are joined for families or groups of friends. The guests can take part in some of the activities regarding the observatory’s gathering of data and information, such as the identification of sharks.
www.kisawasanctuary.com

AL MOUDIRA, EGYPT
In the holy heart of Egypt

In Arabic, Al Moudira means “proprietress”. And this was how the workers and the craftsmen called Zeina Abou Kheir who, in 1999, designed this oasis of peace, halfway between a palace and a maison d’hôtes. The Al Moudira Hotel, a part of the Relais & Chateaux group, is an estate of eight hectares on the western bank of the Nile, in front of Luxor and near the Valley of the Kings. The rooms and the suites, all spacious and furnished with antique furniture from all over the Middle East, open onto enchanting courtyards with little fountains gushing forth and comfortable sofas. The guests go to bed wrapped in embroidered Egyptian cotton sheets by Threads of Hope, a socially oriented company whose mission is to train local women. The kitchen only uses fresh ingredients from farms in the surrounding area. Guests can rent a Dahabeya, a traditional boat with cabins for a cruise on the Nile from three to seven days discovering its innumerable treasures.
www.relaischateaux.com/it/hotel/al-moudira-hotel

ONE&ONLY GORILLA’S NEST, RWANDA
An emotion for life

Luxury living in Africa in the midst of the jungle in search of mountain gorillas in their wildest of states; this is a dream come true thanks to One&Only that is offering a unique escape to discover the fantastic landscapes of Rwanda, a country that is still little explored yet so rich in history. Sitting at the foot of the Virunga volcanic mountain range, the One&Only ultra-luxury resort is surrounded by a forest scented with eucalyptus. It’s in Kinigi, in the north-west region of the country, only five minutes from the Volcanoes National Park. The park is home to the highest number of mountain gorillas as well as five dormant volcanoes. It is classified as a rain forest on account of its mountain eco-system. Immersed in nature, where these rare gorillas wander about in the wild, the guests of the resort sleep in luxurious lodges suspended among the eucalyptus trees. One&Only is highly active in developing and preserving the eco-system of a country as fragile as Rwanda. www.oneandonlyresorts.com/gorillas-nest

XIGERA SAFARI LODGE, THE OKAVANGO DELTA, BOTWSANA
A love letter to Africa

Xigera is the culmination of a life’s dream for the Tollmans, a family of South African hoteliers; it is their own personal love letter to the African bush. The lodge, located on the western side of the Moremi Game Reserve, is also an art gallery which exhibits custom-made works for the property commissioned from Africa’s most interesting young artists and crafts people. Xigera can host a maximum 24 guests in 12 suites, and they are invited to enjoy unique and unforgettable experiences such as excursions in glass-bottomed mokoro boats which slip and slide across the waters of the Delta or a night spent in a baobab tree house a kilometre away from the lodge as well as extraordinary photo safaris. It’s the people, though, that make the difference, as in everything that has been created by Red Carnation Hotels.
www.xigera.com

MATETSI VICTORIA FALLS, ZIMBABWE
A marvel in today’s world

The Matetsi Victoria Falls is a luxury safari lodge, on the banks of the Zambezi, inside a 136,000-acre private, uncontaminated natural reserve – the Matetsi Private Game Reserve. It has sixteen suites, two family suites and a private villa and it organises excursions on marvellous boats. The Matetsi Victoria Falls has been created to demonstrate all that is exceptional about this incredibly beautiful country, from where hail the family who owns it, the Gardiners. Even before creating this lodge, the family undertook a journey to explore the world of conservation, paying much attention to supporting the communities encountered along the way. This journey is ongoing and continues today thanks to the Matetsi team sustaining conservation and anti-poaching.
www.matetsivictoriafalls.com

LONDOLOZI GAME RESERVE, SOUTH AFRICA
In memory of Nelson Mandela

This private hunting reserve, also supported by Nelson Mandela, and located at the very heart of the Sabi Sand reserve, embodies everything that we might expect from Africa: a place that moves to the intense beat of the indomitable Savana. The management of the reserve has been in the hands of the same family for 89 years and today it is the fourth generation of the Vartys that is welcoming the guests to a lodge which is in perfect harmony with the environment. Three areas on the banks of the River Sand – Tree, Pioneer and The Private Granite Suites – are infused with the elegance and the fascino that have been passed down through the generations of the family and its long history. The cuisine exalts fresh local ingredients and is served with class in the midst of nature.
www.relaischateaux.com/it/hotel/londolozi-game-reserve

MIAVANA BY TIME + TIDE, MADAGASCAR
The exclusivity of remote places

Time + Tide is famous for its ability to select remote and beautiful areas to open its hotels. In Madagascar, the Miavana is on the largest of the five islands of a remote archipelago off the north-east coast and it is accessible only by helicopter from the airports of Diego Suarez and Nosy Be. Discovered thirty years ago by one of the partners of the Time + Tide group, today the Miavana is a beautiful hotel and a place where nature’s marvels are preserved and are, at the same time, continuously being further discovered and explored. The Miavana boasts an interesting history. In the beginning, it was just a place where seasonal fishermen passed through, before later becoming a secret refuge for pirates and, in latter years, a flourishing seaweed farm thanks to the waters so full of rich nutrients. In 1998, Ibis Algoculture was set up to preserve the area, reduce the pressure caused by fishing and provide alternative employment by the cultivation of seaweed. The Miavana combines exclusivity and adventure as well as offering a real sense of travelling with a genuine goal. The hotel lies off Madagascar’s north-east coast and has fourteen villas and 2,500 acres of wild nature.
www.miavana.com

SINGITA MILELE, TANZANIA

Singita Milele is a large private villa on top of a hill, inside the Serengeti Park. It only opened in Tanzania a short while ago and is the latest property belonging to the Singita group. The Studio HK, with headquarters in South Africa, has realised this ambitious project, intentionally designed to reduce to the absolute minimum any barriers between the guests and nature, from visual, acoustic and physical points of view. The villa can host up to ten guests, each of the five individually designed suites possesses a unique identity, inspired by the collective names of the region’s most famous animal species: giraffe, lion, cheetah, zebra and rhinoceros. The villa’s private runway is located a mere ten minutes away and the Singita Milele and its dedicated team leaves no stone unturned in terms of what a guest might desire from unforgettable experiences on safari, exploring the savannah on foot or in an open vehicle, including beauty and wellbeing treatments inspired by natural ingredients sourced locally. On more relaxing days, there is even a cinema for ten people where guests can relax in front of a good film.
www.singita.com/lodge/singita-milele